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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Sen. Harry Reid delivers a speech about health insurance reform and the health care bill that’s before Congress on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2009, at UNLV.
Published Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 | 3:01 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 | 3:50 p.m.
Sun Coverage
WASHINGTON -- An influential analyst is saying Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the "underdog" in his re-election fight.
Stu Rothenberg has shifted the race slightly toward takeover by a Republican candidate in November.
Yet the real action is increasingly coming in June with the escalating war between the top Republican candidates hoping for the chance to emerge from the primary for the chance to unseat Reid.
Republican candidate Danny Tarkanian criticized the dismal shape of the Nevada state Republican Party under fellow Republican candidate Sue Lowden’s tenure – an issue he said is sure to be part of the primary battle.
“The party has never been in worse shape,” said Tarkanian, the former UNLV basketball star-turned-businessman said on the “Bill Manders Show” on KOH-AM 780 Monday in Reno.
Tarkanian said the party suffers from having gone without either office space or an executive director for the past year. He said the party is in debt and the campaign will suffer.
“It’s going to be very difficult for the Republican Party to come together,” Tarkanian acknowledged. “The one great thing is that we have the one person who can bring the Republican Party together, and that is Harry Reid. And I am hoping that people will put aside some of the differences that are happening and come together to beat Harry Reid.”
Lowden’s campaign shot back that the party’s troubles were not limited to Nevada, but part of a national Republican Party meltdown.
“Danny's memory is as short as his list of election victories,” said Lowden campaign consultant Robert Uithoven.
“I think most Republicans know that the damage done the last few cycles to our party came from the top down, not bottom up,” he said.
Lowden's camp said Republicans lost control of Congress in 2006 and the White House in 2008 “primarily because Republicans in Washington stopped acting like Republicans. They spent too much, some had scandals and some went to jail.”
True point, but also a sober reminder of recent party history as Republicans they seek to build momentum heading into the fall election.
Meanwhile Reid, now the most vulnerable Democratic senator up for re-election, took a hit when Rothenberg shifted the race toward the possibility of a Republican takeover. The political handicapper points to last weekend’s polling which showed Reid’s approval rating at 33 percent as he loses in potential match-ups to Tarkanian, Lowden or conservative former state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle.
“It will be extremely difficult for him to pull out a win,” Rothenberg wrote.
“Given Reid’s current standing with voters, he should be viewed as a slight underdog for re-election,” Rothenberg wrote, “which is why we are moving this race from Toss-up to Lean Takeover for the GOP.”
Rothenberg points to past races where the incumbent could not recover from low numbers, including those of Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania in 2006, Republican Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire in 2008 and more recently Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey.
Reid’s campaign has maintained its own internal polling shows Reid faring better.
Reid’s campaign has maintained its own internal polling shows Reid faring better, “beating all of his potential opponents.”
“The only opinions that matter in this election are those of Nevadans, not Washington pundits who aren’t here on the ground,” said Reid campaign manager Brandon Hall.
na na na na hey hey hey goodbye. see ya later Harry!
Reid should do the honorable thing and resign immediately. He is out of touch and has forgotten that he was sent to Washington to represent the people. Instead he has let the power go to his head and now engages in back door dealings, bribes and threats. He is a further disgrace to the people of this state with his comments. It's past time that this man were voted out of office!
He will be a "dead dog" as long as we don't get complacent, remain angry and committed to our core values, and, most importantly, walk precincts and talk to our neighbors, friends, and relatives about how important is to send this enemy of patriotic Americans into forced retirement.
The problem is that the damage is already done! Nevada is broke, and Harry shoved a tragic and despicable piece of legislation down the unwanting American public's throats..needle and damage done..
Harry can count on my vote, over and over and my families support, thank you Senior Reid for doing a great job for me and my family.
Say goodbye Harry, your dream is over, you failed the people of NV misserably!
Senator Reid will win the fall election! By summer he will have upwards of 25 million dollars, every Democrat in the country will be in town for him, from the president on down. A majority of the voters here are from California and they vote Democrat. Their entire life they voted Democrat and watched their state die on the vine and they will do the same here. Our state is finished and will soon be just like California, stupid, broke, over taxed and gone. This is the viewpoint from a 45 year Nevada resident.
One of many things that Harry has showed me since I have been voting for him, is that even though he is top dog in the senate, he still refuses to try and do his job to support the citizens of our great state and the citizens of our great country. Harry have you ever thought that if you would relieve our county, state, nation of the illegal immigrants that have been taking jobs away from Americans you could put millions of Americans back to work. Duh!
Harry the bill you passed to allow illegal immigrants unemployment compensation is not only putting a fire to our Constitution, which lately has been under attack by enough greedy coprporates and politicians, but along with your sponsering every bill coming through that has anything to do pro immigration reform it makes it very hard for me to understand how can we as a nation write a bill that includes nationals from other countries free medical as is written in the senates Health Care Reform bill.
Harry do I see a conflict of interest?
Remember Harry you are the Senator, you push immigration reform and American health care for all illegals and can't even protect the citizens that put you into office. Sad.
Harry is no good for Nevada
Harry is no good for the U.S.A.
Hey, hey, Lisa.....you duplicate a sentence.
"Reid's campaign has maintained its own internal polling shows Reid faring better.
Reid's campaign has maintained its own internal polling shows Reid faring better, "beating all of his potential opponents.""
""The only opinions that matter in this election are those of Nevadans, not Washington pundits who aren't here on the ground," said Reid campaign manager Brandon Hall."
Gosh.....Reid cares what Nevadans think???????
So what does he do with all that mail, e-mail, phone calls, etc from Nevadans that are like 4 to 1 coming into his office that are against ObamaCare and that he is trying to shove down our throats.
The polls also confirm that a majority of Nevadans are against ObamaCare.
I think all Reid cares about is the koolaid crowd at the DailyKos.
"underdog, underdog, underdog..." Now I remember... "Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog" and his arch-foe named Crabby Appleton, whose motto was "Rotten to the core!"
... You'll be FINE Harry!?! We're sending $$$ from NYS to HELP! Have known you since my cub reporter days at thee R/J & as correspondent for "Billboard Magazine." You're an HONORABLE man UNLIKE thee TARKANIAN'S, who are TOTALLY corrupt!!!! His DADDY, the ROTTEN basketball coach, will DRAG thee SON down!!! & la RePUKES will DESTROY-each-OTHER!!! YEA!!!
in congress, this year will be one of the most pro
ductive years for any majority senate leader in the history of the us senate; so, back off Harry Reid.
Harry gets the job done and knows how to work with
people, senators, representatives, cabinent members, and the president.
harry is doing nevada and the nation proud; and, some petty rightwingnuts are trying to diminish
the extent of the man's and senator's achievement.
name one nevada senator who will have ever achieved
as much as Harry. Stop being ungrateful and appreciate who and what we have.
Ms. Lowden you are correct, top down, consistent with how executives have been running corporations into the ground in this country, top down. When places in America that have not been on the Vegas marketing map for years begin producing jobs outside the urban areas corporations get their breath from, then the American economy will once again begin SLOWLY, grinding out new jobs bottom up, as in smaller business, smaller banks, sustainability, FAMILIES, quality of life, commnunities with faith and neighbors, you know, OPPOSITE OF CORPORATE VEGAS.
10 months is a lifetime in politics, I wouldn't count Reid out